By Jon Malavolti
C & G Sports Writer

When you score goals, you get noticed.

And when you score a school-record amount, you get enough attention to win awards.

Such was the case of Madison Heights Lamphere’s Katlyn Krysiak, who tallied a program record 31 goals her junior season en route to being named the MVP of the Macomb Area Conference Blue Division.

She also helped create goals for teammates, notching 10 assists, perhaps giving her a leg up against some talented competition.

“I was happy, especially because there are really good teams in our league,” she said about receiving the honor.

Krysiak’s coach, Skip Mukhtar Jr., said it’s Krysiak’s “speed and athleticism” that gives her the edge in goal scoring.

“She can just run by people and go to goal,” the coach said. “Once she gets behind the defense, it’s game over — she’ll put the ball in the back of the net.”

Krysiak didn’t rack up garbage-time goals or pad her stats in blowouts, either. Rather, the striker netted some clutch goals to help Lamphere repeat as co-division champions and win some other big games along the way to a district final appearance.

“Her big thing was she scored big goals for the team when they needed it all season long,” Mukhtar said. “She’s a big part of the team and one of the big reasons we‘ve had the success we’ve had in turning the program around.”

The coach further noted how a core group of Krysiak’s classmates have been vital in turning the Rams into a soccer power.

“They’re all competitors, that’s why we’ve had the success we had,” Mukhtar said. “They’re looking for the challenge, that’s a good thing.

“They want to play already; they can’t wait for our season to start next year.”

Krysiak also deferred to her teammates, giving them equal props.

“My teammates are all very talented. They all help us to win,” she said. “I need them for support.”

You can reach Sports Writer Jon Malavolti at jmalavolti@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1040.